New Puppy
 

I just brought home my new baby girl, Maya! I'm concerned because she is sooo tiny! She's only 6 weeks old!!! Any advice? I feel she's way too young but maybe I'm wrong. I got her home, she smelled like she'd been in a dirty litter. When I bathed her she had fleas! I did not have this experience with my Elijah, so I don't know what to make of this. Physically she seems fine and I'll see in a bit if she'll eat like the breeder said she would. I'm calling the vet in the morning to get her checked out but in the mean time...any advice or thoughts? Is 6 weeks is too young to be away from her mama or am i just being overly concerned?

~And yes, I did check the breeder out before I got her. She and her husband have a reputable 27 year breeding history. ????

:animal36:animal-pa Elijah & Maya :animal-pa:animal36

I'm so sorry no one has answered you before now. Yes, 6 weeks old is way too young to be away from momma. Yorkie puppies should not go to their new home until after 12 weeks old. Long time breeder or not I would not call your breeder "reputable" simply based on her letting the puppy go at 6 weeks old. :(
Now that you have her at your home it is extremely important that she stay warm, out of drafts, not be over-tired by too much play or over handling and it's critical that hypoglycemia be prevented. Hypoglycemia is a huge risk to tiny puppies and even more a risk when they puppy is so young. Please research this and ways to prevent it. I would suggest that you get canned goats milk and mix with canned puppy food, feed a soupy mix of this 4-6 times a day as well as leaving dry puppy food out at all times. My favorite is Royal Canin puppy food since it's not too hard and it is so easy for babies to crunch up. I would also recommend you get a supplement called Nutrical to feed to your puppy. This supplement comes by other names but helps keep their blood sugar levels up.
Please keep us updated on how your little one is doing and feel free to email me or send a private message to me with any questions. Good luck :thumbup:
Teresa

I agree with the advice you just got. I hope everything works out and your puppy does okay now that you have it home. You are right 6 weeks is very very young.

6 weeks is unbelievable that a "breeder" would let a puppy go. As the previous poster said - 12 weeks is when you should have gotten your puppy. You may experience behaviors that you really do not want with a puppy leaving its mom and siblings so early. Biting is one of them.

I am sure that you probably do not want to bring your puppy back because they are so darn cute and you very easily get attached. Make sure you do not allow this tiny little thing to roam the house. An old baby's playpen is great, where you can put their bed on one side with the food and water - and the pee pad on the other.

Nutrical is a must - daily.

Whatever dog food the breeder told you the puppy was on you should continue. Wetting it if its kibble, squirting some honey and mixing in some baby chicken food - mix it and microwave it. It will stink - but it will moisten it enough for the puppy to eat it. You really should not change what a puppy is eating - for at least a month. Then if you want to make changes - do it gradually.

I wish you a lot of luck! And as for the breeder you got your puppy from - I would not recommend that breeder to anyone - no matter how many years they were breeding.

6 weeks is too young to be away from the litter, she shouldnt leave momma until she is at least 12 weeks old.
Just the fact that they let her go too young, she smelled and had fleas proves they are NOT reputable breeders.
Really she should go back to her mother until she is 12 weeks old, but it dosnt sound as if they are taking very good care of these pups if they would send her to you in this condition.
I brought my Poppy home at 6 weeks and it is very scary when they are so small.
Its good that she is seeing a vet but a vet cannot tell you much at this young age as somethings dont rear their head until much later.. but for now a vet check is the best you can do.
You need to keep a close eye on her as these little ones can go downhill quickly.
You need to rid her of the fleas and make sure she is gaining weight, you will get a lot of help and support here at YT. Good luck.

Thanks guys! I took Maya to the vet today, and was told she looked good. She weighed in at 1.75 lbs. Her teeth are not all the way in so I've been feeding her a milk replacement formula mixed with crushed dry puppy food. She seems to tolerate it well. I honestly don't think she was eating dry food before she left her breeder because the crappy dog food the breeder recommended was too big to fit into her mouth and never did get soft when wet. :mad: Thanks for the advice on the Nutrical (I'll pick some up tomorrow) and for all the well wishes. Its nice to have an entire community provide me good, experienced advice for my baby. Hopefully Maya will continue to do well.

Oh poor you and your new puppy. 6 weeks she should barely be being weaned.

A suggestion, no milk replacement formula. Goats milk with equal parts of distilled water and a bit of Karo, Mix in a bit of Gerber's baby rice cereal at least until all her puppy teeth are in. When teeth are all in, ommitt the cereal, grind puppy kibble and soak it into the milk. As time progressess, quit soaking the kibble but, add a bit of quality wet food. You can add grated cheese, parmasean cheese, cottage cheese. There is also a whelping pudding recipe in the breeder section. Also, there is a product called Benebac, it's a pro-biotic anytime you do changes tothe food give your puppy a tube.

Also, keep an eye on her stools, she may have tapeworms or other parasites. If she needs to be treated for anything other than tapeworms; Use a mild dewormer such as Nemex II. If she has tapeworms, consult your vet. Also, keep a close eye on her for coccidia, bloody dirreah is a symptom, get her to a vet for Albon.

Don't let your vet give any vaccinations until she is between 8 and 9 weeks.

We're here to help you.

i don't know what breeder would sell them that early. sigh wish people cared more about the animal than money. take care of her well i know you will. if you could take her back to spend more time with her mother that's what i would suggest, but i doubt thats possible if the breeder obviously thought it was alright to sell.

I would definately not take her back to spend more time with her mother. I think she has a better chance of survival with her new mom.

yes, that's why i doubted the possibility of it. when i had my second yorkie - the breeders assured me he was good to go at 8 weeks, and when i even suggested that they keep him for at least 2 more weeks with his mom they were like no no he's good to go already - eating solid food and fully weaned, it isn't necessary.

so the first 3 weeks i had him was very stressful - it was very obvious he was let go too early. but we made it through, and i know you will :)

WOW.....6 weeks....I couldn't imagine.....Shay was 14 weeks an soooo tiny I was a wreck!....you will get wonderful support on here, everyone is so knowledgeable....they have helped me out so much.....Good luck....

Update
 

It's been two weeks now and Maya is doing Great! She went in yesterday for her first shots and has gained 1lbs. Doc says she's perfect! (which I already knew! :) ) Thank you all soooo much for all the helpful advice and words of encouragement. :thumbs up You all are awesome!

Kim

she's adorable!

Cutie pie she is... I would like to say a few choice words to the GREEDER that sold you her at such a young age. My pups are not even weaned at that age...how sad but at least she found a new momma who is taking wonderful care of her.
Congrats on your new baby!!:D

Kim -- I am just seeing your thread -- some slip by as there are so many now, I can't read through them all! But I am sorry I missed yours! I wanted to congratulate you on your new puppy! I also want to reiterate what Rachel and others wrote: This "person" you got Maya from is NOT A REPUTABLE breeder. The condition she sent that puppy home with you is unforgivable! No excuse for her! I would never do business with her again or even take her advice on any training or health questions. Poor thing only got 1/2 as long with her mom & siblings as she should have as a minimum. You may want to give her even more attention and hands on than you normally would a new puppy to try to overcome the common problem with leaving a litter too soon -- that is a less confident and more fearful puppy.

I am thankful you got such great responses already and have obviously taken such great care of little Maya. She is a cutie! Getting a good prognosis from the vet, having her all cleaned up, free of fleas, and eating well has to feel rewarding. Maya is fortunate she got you for a new mom, hope the other puppies fared as well.

You may have to act as surrogate mom more literally than we normally do. For instance, to train your puppy on not biting (this is another problem often seen in puppies removed too soon) -- gently pinch a little skin at the nape of the neck between thumb and forefinger. You want them to feel it but not to hurt them. At the same time, a firm, louder than normal talking voice, "NO" should help let her know that biting is not acceptable. She will chew -- they have to do that, but you will want to curb the hard biting. Momma dogs usually give them a nip with their teeth and often a short, curt bark to teach them, "NO."

Glad you know about Nutrical. Also might want to get some pumpkin (pure pumpkin) to have on hand. Walmart has it now and if you open the can, you can fill an ice cube tray and then pop them into a freezer bag when they are frozen solid. That way you can take out just one when you need it. It is sometimes hard to find. Pumpkin is great for poop problems, whether they can't or they are having diarrhea -- either way a teaspoon or two of pumpkin can help a lot.

Speaking of potty -- you will of course start trying right away to house train. Many suggest not taking them outside to potty until all of their shots are complete. Other animals can often spread sickness/disease through their left urine and feces. Even if you think no other animals are getting in your yard, they may be at night. City folks don't have as much to worry on this count as us country people. :) But you can pee pad train from the start. Just do not expect them to be able to truly control their bladders until 5-6 months of age. My Annie will always pee when I take her out, but she will still stop and pee inside too. I don't punish, but I do say "no" firmly and move her to a pad. That usually stops her flow but hopefully the idea is being planted.

Hopefully you have her on a good quality food, don't skimp here. They don't eat that much so we can afford to buy the best. :) For puppies, I like to free feed, but if you don't, at least offer food a minimum of 3 times a day. Since you will need a lot of treats during potty training time, try to get your little one to eat something good for them as a treat. Green beans work well! I like baby carrots too as they double as a chew toy. Chattiesmom also makes a good tiny treat called Yorkie Yummies. She uses all natural ingredients and they are so small, they don't spoil an appetite. If you use commercial treats, try to make them smaller so you can reward every "good girl" episode without ruining her appetite for the quality food you have selected. It does not take too many treats to equal a day's food intake and you sure don't want them filling up on the treats. That can be worse than feeding crappy dog food.

I know I got carried away -- I was thinking of some of the things I tell new puppy owners and then realized you have already been doing this for a while and may not need all this! Some days my fingers just keep typing..... :rolleyes:

I anc relate. I have one yorkie and a lhasa apso , i git the lhasa as a companion to my yorkie. She was six weeks when I got her. She was tiny! She was the runt of the litter and was half the size of her litter mates according to the lady. I was still new with the "inside pets" so I didn't really check out my breeders. Thankfully ive never had any real problems w my yorkie. Hes healthy, friendly and just well rounded little guy. when I brought the lhasa home she was so tiny she fit in the palm of your hand. the first two nights or three I had her she had pure diarhea. Pure water, ( not to be gross) but she was so sick. I didn't know if it was the change of being away from her momma or what but it angered me. I emailed the lady and told her what she was doing and asked why, and she said it was probabloy her shots she got the day before because she hadnt been sick. But I brought her home and put her in our big garden tub we didn't use and she stayed in there for weeks. But she had no teeth and I had to make sure she ate well and I was afraid she would dehydrate where she was sick so I force fed her water through an eye dropper.

But I can totally relate.


Good luck.